This afternoon the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) released the following statement in response to news that the American Health Care Act has been pulled from consideration on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:
“We are disappointed that the bill did not advance today,” said SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Republicans must follow through on their commitment to end taxpayer funding of abortion via Obamacare, to exclude it from any replacement funding vehicles, and to redirect funding for women’s health care away from the abortion giant Planned Parenthood to community health centers. The American Health Care Act would have fulfilled these important commitments. We look forward to working with our pro-life Congress and pro-life President on getting these commitments to the finish line with a sense of urgency. Unborn children and their mothers pay a heavy price with each day of inaction.”
Community health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities by at least 20 to one and offer a full range of primary health care, unlike Planned Parenthood.
The proposal to redirect taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood would result in a $422 million increase in federal funding for community health care centers, which enjoy strong bipartisan support, avoid provision or promotion of abortion, and now serve nearly 24.3 million people (and climbing) in medically underserved communities across the United States.
